Life's a Stitch

Camping, 12 nights in a row, it’s my new record. You can teach this old dog new tricks. I’m enjoying it. There are a few things I didn’t like, as in one day of rain so heavy, we watched a mouse running from underneath one car to the next in WalMart parking lot, so as to avoid  getting drenched. And I could do without campsites that are nothing more than gravel parking lots, which only accounted for one night. Finally, abysmal traffic in Portland, OR, with no HOV lanes or public transportation from suburban communities.

There were far more highlights.  

Staying at the site next to Blogless Marsha and Dave, in their camping cabin at Dosewallips State Park in the Olympic Peninsula. It was there we saw a herd of 34+ elk, and a group of 18 bald eagles circling toward the shore.

Breathtaking Mount Saint Helens, from the observatory, on a clear day.

Being close to the ocean and indulging in halibut, crab cakes and pan fried clams.  

Walks in the woods, lots of opportunities for some Shirin Yoku of a couple of posts ago.  Woodworker C, was in his element, when by chance we pulled to the side of the road to eat lunch, and discovered the Burl Trail.

And the real highlight for me was the purpose of the trip. A four day course at the Oregon Society for Artists in Portland, with Lian Quan Zhen, the artist I studied with last year in Spokane. This class focussed on animals and landscapes. This heron is almost done.